Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for the social care of (a) older people and (b) working-age disabled adults.

During this Parliament, Government has taken steps to address the immediate pressures on the social care system, including giving councils access to up to £3.6 billion more dedicated funding for adult social care this year, which councils can use to provide vital services for older people and working age disabled adults. In addition, the budget announced a further £650 million to improve social care services and help reduce pressures on the National Health Service by supporting older people, people with disabilities and children in 2019-20. An additional £55 million of capital funding in 2018-19 for the Disabled Facilities Grant to provide home aids and adaptations for disabled children and adults on low incomes was also announced at the budget.

In the longer term the Green Paper will consider the fundamental issues facing adult social care system, while funding for future years will be settled in the Spending Review where the overall approach to funding local government will be considered in the round.